uv vacuum or contact frame?

Am wanting to dip my toe into the world of pt / pd printing and wanted to ask a basic question. If it's a daft one, please be gentle....

I'm a member of a local artists print studio where I have full access to lots of great facilities. At the studio I work on the hybrid polymer photogravure process. The studio has a wonderful large vacuum uv box which I use for exposing polymer plates.

Rather than buying a contact frame for my intial dip into pt / pd printing, could I / would I be better using this uv vacuum box at the studio? (Am looking at starting with smaller prints intially then working upwards as I (hopefully!) become more proficient).

Since you are testing the waters why not use the equipment available? I don't know what arrangements that studio has but it can be rather time consuming to make pt/pd prints so if your time allowed with the vacuum uv box is restricted that could be a problem. I have never used a vacuum box. I use a printing frame with no problems. Actually when I started pt/pd printing I bought a starter kit from Bostick and Sullivan and used the sun as a light source which in itself had limitations but I'm in sunny south Florida. Once I was sure I wanted to continue with that medium I bought a UV light box and a larger printing frame. I see no difference in the prints exposed with the sun and those with the light box. Using the light box is much more convenient --- print any time of day in any weather in the ac and no mosquitoes.

The vacuum frame should work fine and I assume it has a light source. Sometimes, very seldom actually, vacuum frames can cause an uneveness in Pt/Pd prints due to moisture retained in the paper. That moister gets forced out along the grooves that are typically found in the rubber pad that comes in the vacuum frame. A piece of matte board under the print, black if possible, will usually cure that problem. But, just try one and see what happens. It will more than likely work fine.